Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Karpaka Vinayakar Temple (Pillaiyar Patti Pillaiyar Temple), Thiruppatthur – Greatness of Temple

Karpaka Vinayakar Temple (Pillaiyar Patti Pillaiyar Temple), Thiruppatthur – Greatness of Temple
Among the few places celebrating car festivals for Lord Vinayaka, Pillayarpatti is one. Two cars-rathas are used for Lord Vinayaka and Lord Chandikeswara. The Rath for Chandikeswara is pulled by women and children only. In the car streets, devotees do Anga pradakshinam-whole body circumbulating – on the 9th day of the festivals. While the car pulling begins, a sandal paste covering is offered to the presiding deity with 80 kg Sandal paste. As this event takes place only once in a year, the devotee crowd is huge. 
Maha Abishekam also is performed that day. During the Uchikala puja – midday puja, on the annual Vinayaka Chathurthi day in August-September (Aavani Tamil month), a single Kozhukkattai of a giant size prepared with a quantity of 18 measure of rice, 2 measures of Dhil-Ellu in Tamil, 6 measures of Dhal, 50 coconuts, one measure of cow ghee, 100 gms cardamom, 40 kg. Jaggery is offered to Lord as nivedhana. 
The whole mixture is packed in a cloth and placed in the rice basket (Anna Koodai in Tamil) in the temple kitchen.  This will then be put down in a very big bowl and tied in the kitchen.  The bundle will not touch the big bowl called Anda. This will be boiled for two days continuously. This will be tied in a long wood and carried to the shrine for nivedhana. Next day after the preparation is cooled; it would be made into pieces and offered to devotees and people of the place as Prasad.